Background

What is Preterism?

Wikipedia

Preterism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets some (partial preterism) or all (full preterism) prophecies of the Bible as events which have already happened. This school of thought interprets the Book of Daniel as referring to events that happened from the 7th century BC until the first century AD, while seeing the prophecies of Revelation as events that happened in the first century AD. Preterism holds that Ancient Israel finds its continuation or fulfillment in the Christian church at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Historical

A prominent preterist exposition of prophecy was written by the Jesuit Luis de Alcasar during the Counter Reformation. Moses Stuart noted that Alcasar’s preterist interpretation was of considerable benefit to the Roman Catholic Church during its arguments with Protestants, and preterism has been described in modern eschatological commentary as a Catholic defense against the Protestant Historicist view which identified the Roman Catholic Church as a persecuting apostasy.

Due to resistance by Protestant Historicists, the preterist view was slow to gain acceptance outside the Roman Catholic Church. Among Protestants it was first accepted by Hugo Grotius, a Dutch Protestant eager to establish common ground between Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church. His first attempt to do this was entitled ‘Commentary on Certain Texts Which Deal with Antichrist’ (1640), in which he attempted to argue that the texts relating to Antichrist had their fulfillment in the 1st century AD. This was not well received by Protestants, but Grotius was undeterred and in his next work, ‘Commentaries On The New Testament’ (1641–50), he expanded his preterist views to include the Olivet prophecy and Revelation.

Biblical Foundation

Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Tim 2:17-18)

Full preterism is sometimes viewed as heretical, based upon the historic creeds of the church (which would exclude this view), and also from Biblical passages that condemn a past view of the Resurrection or the denial of a physical resurrection or transformation of the body — doctrines which most Christians believe to be essential to the faith. Critics of full preterism point to the Apostle Paul’s condemnation of the doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Tim 2:17-18), which they regard as analogous to full preterism. Adherents of full preterism, however, dispute this assertion by pointing out that Paul’s condemnation was written during a time in which (their idea of) the Resurrection was still in the future (i.e., pre-AD 70). Their critics assert that if the Resurrection has not yet happened, then the condemnation would still apply.

Why I Left Full (Hyper) Preterism – Sam FrostSamuel M. Frost was once a devoted Hyper-Preterist. Now, he’s converted to Orthodox Preterism. In this interview, he explains his conversion.Channel :- eschatology247
Published On :- 2013-April-5thLink

Preterism: Do You Know About This Dangerous Theology?
Channel :- DarrellMyatt1963
Published On :- 2009-Nov-17th

In-depth

Dr. Brock Hollett

Debunking Preterism with Dr. Brock Hollett | The Underground #94

Every generation takes the same view that the Day of the Lord is fast approaching

Samuel M. Frost

Sam Frost – Why I Left Full Hyper Preterism – AD 70

Theonomy

View of God word can be demonstrated

Dispensation

Dispensation is is not a Theology. It is an eschatology. It begins with an eschatology and has to go back and fit all of its Theology within its eschatology per-suppositions

It is fragmented

It cannot create a coherent, cohesive, systematic position that pertains to a world view

Preterism

All of the Pauline letters are interpreted through 70 AD

Paul was expecting Jesus to come back in 70 AD

Everything is breaded through 70 AD

Parousia

Romans 6 through 8

Sanctification is to the body of Christ

Nothing with body resurrection

pigeonholed

Slogan of “Time of End” and not “End of Time“

Here gone and fulfilled

Now what do we do with the last 2000 years

And, now what do we do …

Books

Book Reviews

Brock David Hollett

Debunking Preterism: How Over-Realized Eschatology Misses the Not Yet of Bible Prophecy

AmazonLinkBy 2013, he had finished writing a book defending preterism and was scheduled to be a conference speaker at a preterist prophecy conference. However, on the very night that he received the first box of 100 books from his publisher, the Lord spoke to his heart to reexamine the biblical doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, which led him to repent of his involvement with preterism.

In 2017, God placed a fresh burden on Dr. Hollett’s heart to write a book that sets forth a proper biblical eschatology and a roadmap for refuting preterism. He wrote Debunking Preterism: How Over-realized Eschatology Misses the “Not Yet” of Bible Prophecy in only three months, sensing a prophetic urgency regarding the project. Debunking Preterism will undoubtedly become the gold standard on the topic of preterism. The book is replete with a wealth of illustrative figures and comparative charts that reinforce its main concepts. Special emphasis is placed upon a proper understanding of the biblical time statements and the “already and not yet” principle of eschatology.

Problematic

To me there are various issues with a Preterism view.

Boxing

It boxes God into a strong timeline

It boxes jesus into a strong timeline

It argues Jesus came back in AD 70

Temple Destruction

It says that people already flee the temple and there is no significance into a new Temple

Audience

It teaches that Jesus was speaking to a particular focus group and not to generations thereafter

Jewish State

It could lead to ambiguity about the role of an actual Jewish state

Millennium Timeline

Verses

Verse ( Revelations 20:1-3)

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

Questions

Will there be an actual Millennium Age

Or is it only Symbolic

Replacement Theology

Stairway into replacement Theology?

Has God promises of Land and Davidic Rule taken place, nullified, or will occur at a later time

Summary

It is one thing to listen to discussions against a straw man. But, when someone actually believes some of these things, it gives Christianity flesh.